Interfaith Leaders Lobby for Auto Bailout
Faith leaders in Greater Detroit launched a national lobbying campaign this week to urge members of Congress to back loans for the city's Big Three auto manufacturers.
Reaching out to their denominations' members, the dozen interfaith leaders hope that their nationwide network will add strength to their call for Congress to pass the auto bailout bill that is expected to be between $15 billion to $25 billion.
"Some of us have larger, national denominations and we can contact those members of Congress who are straddling the fence," said Bishop Charles Ellis of Greater Grace Temple in Detroit to The Detroit News.
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"We can use our constituents in those communities to influence those people."
The dozen interfaith leaders from the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths were gathered by Cardinal Adam Maida, the Catholic Archbishop of Detroit. They expressed how troubled they were when they heard how worried – some near panic – many of their congregants were about the economy in Metro Detroit.
"We have a great concern for the countless individuals and families who are in great distress because of the economy," Maida said. "It is time to stand in solidarity."
The auto bill currently being deliberated by Congress could save some 3 million jobs linked to the three biggest U.S. automakers. Without the U.S. government's help, some experts say it is unlikely the auto companies will survive the economic crisis.
"Our concern is with the men and women and families, who need our activism at this point," said Rabbi Daniel Syme of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Meanwhile Victor Ghalib Begg, chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan, commented, "There seems to be a political disconnect with our politicians who do not understand that amid a worldwide recession, if Detroit goes down, much in the world is affected."
On Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid both issued statements saying they aim to have the auto bailout legislation ready by the coming week to pass and then send to the White House for the president's approval.
"It should never have come to this. The auto companies dug themselves into this hole and for years did nothing to climb out of it," Reid said in a statement. "But we are not acting for executives' sake; we are acting on behalf of the workers and their families. This week's hearings have made clear that we cannot let these companies fail."
The auto executives from General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler testified on Capitol Hill this week and pleaded for $34 billion to save their industry.
GM said it did not have money to stay in business this month without government help, according to CNN. It needs at least $4 billion by the end of the month and another $6 billion in the first quarter as part of the requested package of $16 billion aid it says it needs to survive until 2010.
Chrysler is also nearly out of money, it reported, and needs $4 billion by the end of March out of the $7 billion it is asking for.
Meanwhile, Ford is better off and does not want to borrow money but rather have access to up to $9 billion in loans in case unexpected problems occur.
In addition to lobbying for the bailout bill, Detroit's religious leaders are also setting up an information network about the social services they offer. Many times members of other denominations or religions are not aware of the charities and social services that other faiths and institutions provide, the leaders explained.
The Detroit bailout launch event on Thursday included members of the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths, with Christian leaders from Catholic, Baptist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Methodist and non-denominational congregations.
The month of November saw devastating job lost; more than half-million people lost their jobs.
